Maple Grove Raceway - Holy Hot Rods, Batman!

The Amish Country Of Eastern Pennsylvania Was Invaded By A Cornucopia Of Bow Ties.

Set in the rolling farmland in the Appalachian Mountains in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, Maple Grove Raceway proved that hot rodding is alive and well in the northeast, with not an empty seat in the stands, nor grassy knoll left uncovered. The drag strip side of the track could barely hold in all the competitors, which numbered well over 600 entries and guzzled gallons and gallons of high octane go-go juice. Eliminations continued deep into Sunday as the sun started to set and the show cars piled out for the trek home.

Quite an array of beautiful show machines crossed the judges' path, with an emphasis on Pro Street beauties and rare muscle. Our recent cover bearer, Denny Durbin, displayed his high-horsepower, supercharged Nova. So did his brother, who brought his bumper-draggin', Pro Street, first-generation Camaro.

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Also gracing the grasslands was a pair of ultra-rare 1967 Camaro Z/28s. It is unusual to see one of the 602 original Z cars at one location, let alone two. Complete with the correct 290-horsepower 302 cubic-inch small-blocks designed specifically by Chevy for squashing the Mustang in the SCCA Trans-Am series in the late '60s, each of the two in attendance was documented. Both had folding rear seats and the red one had a front bench seat, 8-track player and 4.56 gears-from the factory.

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Tremec True Street was an absolute blood bath, with 28 competitors cocked, locked, and ready to rock. The tour began out the rear gate of Maple Grove Raceway, past the once-legendary/now dry and filled-in swimming pool that catered to many a drunken encounter through the years. They continued some 20-plus miles through Morgantown and back again without a single hitch. As per the request of most competitors, they made haste through the hills in an attempt to keep off the high-stall converters. In the end, perennial butt-kicker and December 2006 feature car owner Marc Schwankweiler once again proved the worth of his blue '66 Chevy deuce. He rattled off a 9.174, 8.698, and 8.611, good enough for a class average of 8.83-seconds and $200 prize in Tremec True Street.

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Bracket 2 was full of heavy hitters deadly on the tree and quick out of the gate, like this 1969 Chevelle that shoved through a few rounds.

This primed three-window pickup was turbo-diesel powered and blasted low 11-second passes smoking all the way down the track. I bet he gets solid as mileage, too.

NHRA Super Stock record holder Brian Oakes put on the gun show, dragging the bumper on pass after pass. He presently holds the SS/CA, SS/DA, and SS/EA records, all in the low 9-second zone.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The sun was high in the sky all weekend, perfect for the 28 Tremec True Street competitors and thousands of spectators.

This stunning 1966 Corvette is owned by Don Wagner from Milton, Delaware, and it received plenty of attention in the car show.

This dude is proud of his Tri-Five and Super Chevy shirt he has owned for over a decade.

The "Bad News" Sedan Delivery is owned by Mike Tracy of Tamaqua, Pa.

Philip Judd of Bangor, Pennsylvania, took home an Editor's Choice Top 10 Drag Race award in his maroon 1969 Z/28 Camaro.

Stew Hill won the 12-second bracket in Tremec True Street in his 1957 Chevy.

George Martinelli won the True Street 10-second bracket in his 1932 coupe. He drove this car to the event and accrued serious miles with a power to weight ratio good enough to smack all Mustangs on the highway.

Marc Schwankweiler from Douglasville, Pa., continues to impress with his high-flying Nova.

William Ahlas was second overall in his blown 1962 Nova, stringing together a 10.275, 10.207, and 10.262 for an average of 10.248-seconds and ultimately better than all but one.

This beautiful hide-away ragtop lit up the strip, and bathed in the car show sun all weekend. A perfect example of Bow Tie muscle with both style and power.

Ken "The Kid" Walsh went out early in the Aeromotive Nitro Coupe category, but set the bar in qualifying with a lightning fast 4.066 at 181 mph in the eighth-mile. All year long, The Kid has been the man to beat, remaining consistent and putting up stout number.

Tommy Rollins' 1970 Nova, 11-Second Tremec True Street winner.

These guys packed their rig right on the finish line and enjoyed great racing from the leisure of their Jacuzzi. A few beers and some females and you can count me in.

No lack of dedication here.

Doug Winters was the runner-up in the Aeromotive Nitro Coupe category. He ended the day with a 4.22-second pass at 176 mph in his '57 Chevy.

His and hers matching Corvettes. Some people have all the luck.

This pair of 1967 Z/28 Camaros represents two of the 602 made that year. Ultra-rare and stupid fast, they handled great for the day.

The folks from ProCharger were at the event all weekend, displaying their wide array of forced-air customer rides. Between the P-1SC-1 blower and custom paint job, it doesn't get much better in the late-model world.

Bracket 1 made for some great top-end action. With the use of electronic delay boxes and throttle stops, the margin of victory is usually within inches.

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